


I Told You So

by VanillaWafer42



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Established Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince), F/M, Hurt, Oops its angsty, Read it plz, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:15:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25479787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VanillaWafer42/pseuds/VanillaWafer42
Summary: After she barged into the castle and tried to kill him, Callum couldn't care less what happened to her. After they started their journey, he didn't trust her. After Zym hatched, he found himself starting to care. And after she jumped off a mountain to kill Viren, he knew that he loved her.A couple weeks after the big showdown, Callum and Rayla decided to move to Xadia. There, Callum could continue his work with primal magic, and Rayla...well, she could do Rayla stuff.But when Rayla has to leave on an urgent mission, Callum promises to wait for her.Turns out they underestimated Viren's power.
Relationships: Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 56





	1. Chapter 1

"No!" Rayla screamed, laughing. She ran through the meadows, watching as little furry creatures stuck to her legs. Callum was right on her tail, his arms outstretched. 

They both laughed as they circled the area, the creatures making a larger and larger layer on their legs. Finally, Rayla could run no more. She tripped over the tiny creatures and tumbled to the ground. 

"I've got ya now!" Callum celebrated, dropping down to her. His fingers flew across her stomach, and she broke out in laughter. 

"Stop! Stop!" She shrieked between giggles. Callum continued to tickle her.

She laughed and laughed and laughed. Callum felt like he could listen to that forever. Her laugh was so beautiful, like a cool breeze on a hot day. It was soothing, and it made him smile.

But she didn't laugh very often. It was a rare delight. 

When he removed his hands from their tickling duties and set his arms by his sides, he was sad to hear her laugh end. He helped her up, and the two brushed off the creatures covering them. 

"I think your tickling might be more fearsome weapon than Viren's magic," she joked, playfully punching in the shoulder. He chuckled, and the two made their way to a low-hanging tree branch. It was a good ten feet up in the air. Rayla got ready to jump, but Callum stopped her.

"Hey, check this out," Callum said, and he brought his index finger up into the air. He drew what looked like a fancy 'w' with a line over it, and said "Telmia." Instantly, little beams of light fly from the drawing and into the ground. A staircase of light came up from the dirt, reaching to the tree branch.

"After you," Callum motioned to his creation. "My, what a gentlemen," she said, and bounded up the stairs. Callum followed, and his little staircase faded as soon as he touched the tree. 

"How is your training going?" She asked. Callum sighed. "It's going alright. Though, I wish it was a bit more fun. There's nothing going on, no battle or anything, it's just weird yoga moves. That staircase is the first spell I've learned in three weeks."

She wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him a bit closer to her. "I'm sorry. But if you really wanted 'fun', I could come and attack you. Would that help?" She asked sarcastically, and he smiled.

"I wish you _could_ come," he said, a hint of sadness in his voice. 

"I do too. But the temple ruin stuff is very sacred, and I completely understand that I'm not allowed in."

"I bet if you put on your human disguise you would be."

This got the two laughing again, and once more Callum smiled when he heard it. _God_ , he loved that so much. He loved _her_ so much.

She leaned her head on his shoulder, and his head landed on hers. 

"I missed you," she finally said, breaking the silence.

"I did too," he said, taking her hand in his. "But I have three whole days of break. And my next lesson is only two weeks, not three."

"I know, but I don't have much to do while you're gone. I go and visit Runaan and Ethari sometimes, but I never stay for a super long time. I'm not on a world-saving quest, or on an assassin team, or...I, I just don't know." 

He wrapped his free arm around her back. "I'm sorry. I really do wish you could come. I feel so bad for leaving," he said.

"No, you do your magical stuff. That's something you're passionate about. Which means I support it," she reassured, tilting her head so she could look at his eyes. She smiled. 

While her laugh was beautiful, those eyes were even better. They were like tiny moons, drawing in whoever could look deep enough. He felt like he could dive in, and he would just be surrounded my happiness and warmth. 

"Thank you, that means a lot to me," he said, returning the stare. 

"Callum?" She asked. "Yeah?" He replied.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

The distance between them shrunk, and they both closed their eyes. Callum felt her lips against his, and he reached hi hand up to cup the back of her head. She leaned into him, and the grip on each other's hands tightened. 

_Why can't we just freeze time? Why can't we stay like this forever?_ He thought, as the realization of the short time he had with her settled in. He just fought in a war and ended it, why couldn't he just spend a bit of time with his girlfriend?

 _After the two weeks are up, the intructor elves said they were going on vacation. Then you can spend as much time with her as you want,_ he reminded himself. 

He had opted not to tell Rayla so it would be a surprise. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face when he came back from his next lesson and told her the good news. 

And then they could frolic in the meadows and sit on tree branches for weeks. 

He was so excited for that. It would be like their first vacation since the war. And he wouldn't want to spend it with anyone else.

Their lips separated, and the two resumed their previous positions. They sat there for a bit, watching the sun go down. They could see little rays of light poking through the leaves on the trees in front of them. 

It was a beautiful sight, as Xadia always was. 

Sometimes, Callum thought back to their journey many months ago. How it all started with Rayla barging into the castle, he two trusty sword ready to end his life. And then when he struggled to trust her, when she was willing to lose a hand for his brother. When she risked her life so many times to save others, even when they weren't very...nice people. When she kissed him for the very first time, when she saw his drawings of her parents.

And when she jumped off the mountain, taking Viren along with her. 

Every time he thought back on that moment, he wanted to cry. Just the thought of losing her, it was almost too much to bear. And if he hadn't gotten the spell in time, if he hadn't flown fast enough she...she wouldn't be sitting here next to him.

Then he felt her warmth on his chest, her hand in his, and he wanted to cry. 

_God_ , he loved her. And he just wanted it to stay like this forever. But there were hardships that would come, there were things that would happen that he wouldn't like. 

But they would face the unknown together. They would jump in, sword flashing and magic blazing. They would always have each other's backs, always be looking out for and protecting each other. 

As long as she was by his side, he could face anything.

With all fear of the future diminished with the sheer sound of her voice, he looked out to the sunset with a smile on his face. The warmth of the sun and his girlfriend by his side melted away the loneliness that had haunted him for those three weeks. 

And he couldn't wait for those next three days.

It would be perfect. _This_ was perfect.

Until an arrow flew two inches in front of Rayla's face and panted itself in the tree trunk.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to click the 'work has multiple chapters button' 
> 
> Oops.
> 
> Well anyway, here's the next chapter.

Rayla immediately shoved Callum's head down and threw her body over him, keeping an eye out for the next arrow. Her eyes ablaze with anger towards whoever was attacking. The two remained hunched over, Rayla on top, for a couple seconds of deathly silence. 

Rayla turned her head just enough to look at the arrow and sat up when she got a closer look. 

"It's safe, Callum. It's one of Runaan's arrows," she said, yanking the messenger arrow out of the thick tree trunk. Callum reluctantly sat up, scanning the meadows surrounding them just in case they _were_ under attack. 

Rayla uncurled the letter, her eyes darting across the page. Callum looked over her shoulder, trying to see what the letter said. But, upon closer observation, it looked to be in some sort of code. Probably to throw off anyone who might intercept it.

 _Wait...that means that it's gotta be really important_ , he thought, a little spike of worry cutting into him. A butterfly flew around his stomach as he watched the expression on Rayla's face turn from curious to worried to angry. 

When she finally finished, she ripped the letter into pieces. The look on her face could kill, her eyes filled with rage. 

"Rayla, wha...what's wrong?" Callum asked tentatively. Rayla looked at him with sadness and pain. She sighed, and placed her hand on his. 

"Viren broke out."

"The last thing that man needs to worry about is pimples-"

"No, out of prison!"

"Oh. _Oh._ "

"Yeah. He's in Xadia now, and his path crosses with the Moonshadow Elf village. Callum, I-"

"You have to go. I understand. You need to defend your home and your people."

"Runaan is getting a small stealth group together, and he's requested I come. That means...that means you can't come with me."

"What?!" Callum shouted, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Rayla, I...I can't, I need you, I-"

"Runaan says he has a plan. It should be executed by sundown tomorrow. I'll be back in plenty of time," she responded, resting her hands on his forearms. His gaze turned to the floor, trying to hide his disappointment. 

"Hey," Rayla said, picking his head up to face her with one of her hands. "I'm sorry. But I need to do this. And when I come back, we can run around in the meadows for as long as we please. You've got your training, now it's time for me to leave. Just trust me."

"But this is dangerous. If I was there, I could make sure you didn't do anything stupid."

"I think Runaan will make sure of that."

"I know, but...I couldn't stand to see you get hurt because I wasn't there to help."

"Callum, I can watch over myself. You know that. I'll be fine, I promise."

"You promise?"

"I promise," she nodded, leaning in so her forehead was touching his. "I promise you," she whispered, and gave him a quick peck on his lips. The two embraced, and Callum didn't want to let go. 

When they parted, Rayla was smiling. With those beautiful eyes, and that beautiful smile. 

One of Runaan's animals came bounding across the meadow and stopped underneath them, it's saddle empty and waiting for her. 

"See you at dinner," she said, and swiftly hopped onto the beast's back. As they rode away into the setting sun, Callum thought about what she said.

_I promise._

_I promise you._

\/\/\/

It was the next morning. Callum had slept in his cabin that he stayed in when he trained with the elves. With the huge attack and Rayla gone, he couldn't go to the village for the night. 

The sky was a bright blue, and...birds? Were they birds? Whatever they were, they were chirping. There was a small stream nearby, and Callum walked over to it. He splashed his face with the cold, crisp water. 

The cabin didn't have plumbing, so that was the only water you could get. 

He grabbed his sketchbook, and started down one of the trails he remembered from his time in Xadia. This particular trail led to an overlook off a cliff, and he felt like drawing something. 

As he traveled deeper into the woods, he had to climb across tree branches and bushes and rocks, the forest getting denser with every step he took. 

He couldn't help but smile. Here he was, surrounded by magic. He was so lucky to be able to live in this world, luck to be able to learn magic. He breathed in the fresh air. The air in Xadia always had an almost fruity smell to it. 

He was reminded every day how wonderful of a place Xadia was. And how much power was just sitting around here. 

At any moment, someone could come and threaten to ruin the world again. Throw humans and Xadians back into the war they hated so much. The last thing the needed was more blood and violence. 

And then he thought back to Rayla. If Runaans plan succeeded, which they often did, then Viren would longer be an issue. That would certainly let him fall asleep a bit easier at night.

Then he felt bad for Soren. All of the Dark Magic Viren had done got to his brain. It had to really hurt to see a member of your own family turn into a monster like that. 

Claudia had passed away after saving her father, the magic too much for her to handle. Soren had already lost his only sister, but to lose his father too? After the ordeal with his mother? He couldn't even imagine. 

Well, nevermind. He could. Both of his parents were gone, and his step-father was gone too. He almost never saw his brother anymore, with all Ezran's important king duties to attend to. 

As he reached the end of the trail, he took off his satchel and sat down on the dirt. He pulled out his sketchbook and pencil, and started to draw. 

He drew the ridges on the cliff in front of him, he drew the flowers on the other side of the divide, he traced along the river that flowed through the small valley. 

But when he looked at his book, he found that he had accidentally added something.

Or, some _one_. 

Rayla sat on the other side, facing him. Her brilliant eyes burning like the rays of sunshine, and her laugh echoing off of every rock and pebble and blade of grass. The beautiful sound traveled to his ears from a hundred different angles, and when he opened his eyes-

The place where she sat was empty. 

And a big _BOOM_ was heard in the distance. 

Instantly, he tore off his jacket to prepare to fly, then he stopped himself. Rayla had told him not to come, that Runaan had a plan, that he needed to stay here. 

_What if my arrival ruined the whole plan?_ He thought, not sure what to do. He argued inside himself for the next few explosions, then sighed. 

"She told me to stay. She told me to trust her. I don't want to let her down."

He grabbed his jacket and his art supplies, and headed back to his cabin. That afternoon, he spent every second drawing pictures of Rayla. In the middle of one of her flips, hanging upside down from a tree branch, covered in those tiny creatures. 

Each new picture made him smile. She was so beautiful. He could draw her all day long. 

Then, a bright light flooded the room. 

He ran outside the door, trying to see where the light was coming from. It was...it was...the village! Runaan's plan! It must have worked!

At the excitement of reuniting with Rayla, his heart leapt to the moon. He waited for her outside, getting his hopes up at every little movement that caught his eye.

It was a good 15-20 minutes before he finally could smile. 

Her silhouette was walking towards him from the break of the trees.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the chapter confusion stuff.
> 
> I hope you liked it!


	3. Chapter 3

_It's her, she's back, she's safe,_ he thought, and he started running to her. With every step, his heartbeat quickened. 

"RAYLA!" He called to her. He ran as fast as he could. The trees were pretty far away.

With Viren taken care of, everything could go back to normal. There would be no fear, no more violence, and the war would _finally_ be over. 

As he got closer and closer to the trees, he remembered his pictures. And just how much he had missed Rayla for _one day_. This was supposed to be their vacation, and now they could enjoy the rest of it together. 

Together. 

He loved that word. From the moment they had their first kiss, he had wanted nothing more than to be together. On the mountain, exploring Xadia, everything. And now that they finally could be together, he wouldn't take a second of it for granted. 

They could climb all the trees in the area, jumping from one branch to another, swim in the river down in that valley, cover themselves in so many tiny creatures it was hard to breathe, all of it. They could do anything they wanted. 

And they could do it all together. 

"Rayla!" He called out again, hoping for a response. When he didn't get one, he started to notice something. _There looks to be...what is she holding? It looks like a log of some sort,_ he thought. _A campfire!_

That was such a great idea.. They could sit under the stars, the warmth of the fire battling the cold air that came in after sunset. It might not be as good without s' mores, but if she was there with him, it would be perfect. 

But why wasn't she running to him? Wasn't she happy to see him?

Wait, _what if she couldn't run? Did she get hurt?_ Now that he paid attention to it, she did seem to be limping a bit.

 _She looks okay, maybe just sprained something,_ he thought. 

He would get some cold water on it when she got to the cabin. 

He couldn't stop thinking about the next couple days of his vacation. They could stay up so late that both of their sleep schedules would get fricked up in one night, they could sleep in all the way till after lunch, they could have so many moonberry pies it wasn't even funny, they could do everything.

And now that she was by his side, he wouldn't be lonely. 

Then Rayla responded. "C-Callum..."

"Rayla!" He shouted back. 

_When did her voice get so deep? It sounded kind of choked, like she was talking through tears._

Maybe that limp was worse than he thought. He would get her to the cabin, and she would rest. She would be fine, and then they would be together. 

And he wouldn't let her go on another mission without him. He wanted to be there to make sure she didn't get hurt again. He couldn't stand to see her with pain in her eyes. She didn't deserve to get hurt. 

The closer he got, the more confused he got. _That's a really weirdly shaped log, and when did she get so tall?_

She spoke again "N-no..." _Why was she acting so strange? Wasn't she happy to be back? What did 'no' mean?_

He pushed the questions aside and ran faster. He was only a couple hundred yards away now. He couldn't wait to get to her, wrap her in his arms, see those beautiful eyes. He wanted to look at those eyes for the rest of his life. 

The last thing she had said to him was _see you at dinner_. It was a bit past dinner, but they could still eat dinner. She would put her foot up, he would make her some dinner, and she would get better. That limp would be forgotten by morning.

He wanted to hear her laugh. He wanted to see her smile. He wanted to see the joy in her eyes. He just wanted _her_. 

He was almost there, about one hundred yards, and Rayla was just stepping out of the shadows of the forest. And now her white hair was visible-

Wait.

_Since when do logs have white hair?_

As the light from the moon allowed him to see, he stopped running. Then he gasped. 

No.

No, that couldn't be right. He was dreaming. He reached down to his elbow and felt a harsh pinch. 

_No...no no no._

_This isn't real._ _This is a joke._

The silhouette moved closer. "Callum..." he said again, limping on his left leg. His long white hair was mangled and burnt. His body was covered in cuts and bruises, making it hard to see the dark lines that traced across his arms.

But his face was still clear.

It wasn't Rayla.

It was Runaan. 

And he wasn't holding something. 

He was holding some _one_. 

Breathing suddenly became very difficult. The air seemed like water, like it was choking him. Was the ground moving? That's what it felt like. He could hear the sounds of other footsteps in the forest, but they seemed so far away. 

He could hear his heartbeat in his ears, and a faint ringing sound that he couldn't identify. It felt surreal, it felt like his mind was tearing into two. 

He didn't even feel the tears spilling from his eyes. He didn't feel at all. He was floating. He was sinking. In an ocean of darkness, of pain, of disbelief. 

No. 

As the elf stopped in front of him, Callum dared to place his hand on hers. 

It was cold. It was way too cold. 

No, Rayla was always warm. She was always happy, and joyful, and brave, and...and...

She was never cold. Never this cold. No, this couldn't be her. This was an elf that looked like her. This was a joke, some kind of twisted prank gone wrong. 

He took a shaky breath, tears threatening to fall into his mouth. "Is, is she, i-is..." he choked, his eyes not leaving her.

Runaan was definitely crying. He wasn't even trying to hold back. The strong-willed, courageous leader was crying. Rayla said he never cried.

"She...she's gone, Callum," he whispered. 

_No._

Her body was covered in cuts and scratches. There seemed to be two deep gashes from the slice of a sword, one on her shoulder and the other down by her ankle. The tips of her white hair weren't white, but a very unnatural shade of red. Her left foot was bending in a way that it probably shouldn't, and one of her horns was cracked. 

But what bothered him was her face. There was blood, way too much of it. And it covered her beautiful face. You wouldn't be able to see her sweet, kind, gorgeous face because there was too much blood. 

Runaan held her out towards him. Callum took her, one arm wrapped around her knees, and the other around her shoulders. 

But he couldn't do it. He couldn't stand. He was strong enough to hold her but he couldn't. Not like this. Not when she was cold, not when she was this pale, not when she...not when she wasn't smiling.

He slowly sank to the ground, her body clenched tightly in his arms. He held her close to him, hoping with everything that she would open those beautiful eyes and give him that beautiful laugh. 

She would never laugh again. She would never open those eyes.

Callum didn't feel his knees touch the ground. He didn't hear Runaan kneel next to him. He didn't feel the elf place a hand around his shoulders. 

He was numb.

He couldn't feel.

He would never feel again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was hard to write.
> 
> I promise this isn't the end!
> 
> There is more coming!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okie, this one took forever. 
> 
> Welp, I hope y'all enjoyed my tiny little death story. 
> 
> Just keep in mind that the story is mine. If y'all came lookin' for a happy ending, look somewhere else. 
> 
> Without further ado, here's the finale.

The ceremony was quiet. 

The idea of having a huge funeral was immediately shut down. While she had played a huge part in ending the war, Callum knew she wouldn't have wanted a grand burial. 

Only close friends were there. 

Ezran flew in from Katolis on his dragon, a few of his advisors riding with him and Bait sitting on his head. Soren rode with Ezran. Runaan and Ethari gathered a few other Moonshadow Elves. Even Zym came. 

They had the service at the meadow where Rayla had gotten the letter. Even the tiny, cute creatures mourned with them.

But Callum wasn't listening half the time. His mind was elsewhere, lost in a never-ending spiral of pain and confusion. While it had been a week since her passing, it still felt so...painful. If not as bad as the moment he saw her dead body, then even more so. 

Every day, the reality that she would never laugh, never smile, never do _anything_ again, it picked at him, tore him apart, broken his heart into millions of tiny pieces. They hadn't really gotten to spend a whole lot of time together. Being on a world-saving quest didn't give much free time to just hang out. 

Hang out. That's something that normal couples did. Callum and Rayla were anything but normal. One could get special powers from the moon, the other could grow wings and shoot lighting. 

They had never gotten a chance to even try to do anything normal. 

But he still loved her. He loved her more than she would ever know. And now he wouldn't ever be able to tell her. 

Those last seven night were impossibly lonely. 

The cabin was dark enough at night, but the lack of joyfulness gave it an even grayer tone. Callum barely saw colors anymore. Everything was black and white. And gray. Most things were gray. 

The chair where she used to sit and tell him about her adventures was a dark gray, the kind you would see in a storm cloud. The nightstand she would lean on whenever he was too exhausted to stand was a lighter gray, almost like fog. 

But the sky was black. Pitch. Black. 

He would walk into his gray cabin every night, toss his satchel on the gray chair and take a swig of moonberry juice from the flask that sat atop the gray nightstand. He would look through the skylight and into the pitch black sky, the shades or gray filling his blurry eyes. 

They would once again well up with tears, and slowly start to spill down his face. 

And the silence would creep in through the front door. The sound of nothing. No crickets, no birds, no wlves or anything like that. Nothing. Except maybe the sound of his heartbeat. If he tried to hear it, he could. 

But he didn't want to. He didn't want to hear _his_ heartbeat, he wanted to hear _hers_. 

Then the silence would be broken by a gasp because he didn't realize he was holding his breath. Then more tears. 

More silence.

More gray.

So Callum put through the black and white ceremony. He heard the words of his friends, and he said a few of his own. It wasn't easy, but it was the least he could do. 

Before they covered her in dirt, Callum took one last look at her. Her emotionless face, her pale skin, her dried blood. 

And for the tiniest of seconds he saw the purple of her eyes flash through the gray of his surroundings. 

And then they took her away. Again. 

_The elves were surrounding Viren and Claudia, and a couple of his surviving soldiers. The moon was risen high into the sky, and Runaan and the others stood firece against the enemy._

_While most of the elves were shaken up, Rayla was persistent. She was fighting Claudia single-handedly, and winning. Viren shot magic at them a couple times, but all of the Mooonshadow elves were able to avoid the blasts._

_Rayla dodged Claudia's attacks, and swept her legs out from under her. When the young woman crashed into the grass, Rayla knocked her out with the handle of her sword. She turned her attention towards Viren._

_The other elves were occupied, but Runaan was headed for Rayla's target too. Two against one. That sounded pretty fair._

_The two elves ran towards the mage, weapons in hand and eyes narrowed. The temporary look of fear on VIren's face gave them the slightest bit of hope. He swung his staff around him and muttered a couple incoherent words, and three purple snakes burst from his weapon._

_They landed on the ground and slithered towards the elves._

_Rayla leaped into the air, slicing one of them in two, and continuing to run when her feet hit the ground. Runaan lost all his speed, trying to fend off the snakes. Rayla kept her eyes focused on the enemy, her body ready for the fight of her life._

_Then Viren brought his staff down onto the ground, and an explosion of purple energy surged through the air. The force slammed into her, sending her flying backwards into the grass. Her body ached from the violent landing, and Runaan helped her to her feet._

_There seemed to be some sort of purple buble around Viren now. Rayla touched it with the tip of her finger, and her hand went through. It wasn't a forcefield of any sorts._

_Then a long worm-looking thing made its way to Viren. Before, Rayla thought it was a rock. But when she looked closer, she gasped. She had seen those in books, heard about them in old folktales._

_The fight suddenly became much more difficult._

_Rayla started to run at Viren, but Runaan grabbed her arm before she could leave. "No, not with that...creature. It's too dangerous."_

_Rayla wanted so badly to argue, but now wasn't the time. She watched as the bug made it's way to Viren._

_Humans aren't capable of magic. Well, most humans. And to get the magic that Xadians contain, they have to take the energy right out of something living._

_And that bug had a hell of a lot of magic._

_Viren brought down his staff on the creature, killing it instantly. A cloud of purple came up from the dead monster and into Viren's mouth._

_The elves gasped._

_No._

_He couldn't use that spell._

_That would wipe out everything. Their home, the dragons, the Xadians, that one spell was powerful enough to wipe out all of Xadia and anything in it with one blow._

_Viren threw his head up to the sky._

_That was Runaan started running. He cried out to the mage, his weapon gleaming in the moonlight._

_But he didn't make it very far. What looked to be purple rockets flew from around Viren, protecting him from harm. They sped straight towards Runaan, and one crashed into him and sent him flying back._

_The barage of rockets stopped the other elves and Rayla from reaching Viren._

_He was screaming now. Purple lines enveloped his face, and traced down his arms to his staff. He raised the weapon into the air, purple energy swirling around the top._

_He muttered the final word of the spell. The purple energy flowed to the bottom of the staff. Viren raised it higher into the air, preparing for the final blow._

_Rayla took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and thought of Callum. She thought of his smile, his laugh, his adorable face. And she smiled._

_"Tell Callum I'm sorry," she said._

_And then she ran._

_She ran straight at the rockets, and threw her swords at them to make the explode in front of her. She ran through the purple smoke they left behind._

_She could hear a couple 'no's from the other elves, but she didn't stop. She sped up._

_Viren looked at her, a slight tinge of fear in his eyes. But he still brought the staff down towards the ground._

_Time seemed to almost stop for Rayla. She could hear her heartbeat, see the purple energy move oh so slowly toward the grass._

_She would make it. She had to. If she didn't everything she knew and loved would be destroyed. Everyone_ _she loved would die._

_She dove to the ground._

_Her hand reached out and grabbed Viren's ankle._

_The mass of purple energy came crashing down on her chest._

_And all was black._

_When the dust cleared, two lifeless bodies laid on the grass. A useless staff laid on the ground._

_She had done it. She had saved them all._

_She was a hero._

Runaan had told him the story twice. Once when Callum was crying and screaming, and again when he was bit calmer. Callum didn't like to hear the story. It made him angry, made him furious at the world for taking away his true love. 

But it gave him a bit of closure. And it even made him smile. Rayla never ceased to be the hero everyone described her as. Even in her dying moments, she saved the world _again_ from certain doom. Her name would fill the history books, her story would travel over miles. 

And he had the privilege of knowing her. He got to hear her laugh. He got to see her smile. And he got to look into those beautiful eyes, lose himself in the mystery and intruige. 

For the first time in what felt like years, Callum felt one small tear of joy amongt the others. He was so proud. He was so proud of her. And what she accomplished. 

But he was also angry. Angry at her. Angry at her for sacrificing everything. She didn't have to lose it all, she could've thought of something else. She was putting him through this, making him feel all this pain. 

No matter how many times he tried, he couldn't blame her. He couldn't stay angry at her. 

Even though she had broken her promise. She wasn't back for dinner. She wouldn't ever be. And she wasn't okay, either. It was a terrible thing that Callum hadn't come, he would have held her back. 

She was wrong. What happened was wrong. God, everything was _wrong_.

Callum had dreams. He saw her, he fought with her, he laughed with her, he talked with her. And she was smiling. And he would smile through his slumber, he might even let a small chuckle echo through the empty cabin. 

And then he would wake up. 

And everything would be gray again. 

Ezran stayed with him for a bit, and some elves came by to express their sympathy. Callum didn't care. He wanted to mourn alone. He was alone. He didn't have her by his side. 

It was over a month before Callum started to talk to people again. He still dreamed of her, he still loved her and missed her. But he had to let her go. 

He would make it through this with his brother and his friends by his side. 

But he swore that from somewhere deep in his mind, he could still hear her laughing. 

Her beautiful laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, apologies for the wait. Let me know what you thought of it!
> 
> As always, I'll see y'all in the next one. 
> 
> Byuu.

**Author's Note:**

> My first tdp fanfic
> 
> Updates should be decently frequent
> 
> See y'all in the next chapter
> 
> Byuu


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